Love in the Highlands (15 page)

"Until what? Are you planning to produce a parson to force me into marriage here and now? Because if you – "

"Good heavens no!" he said, genuinely shocked. "No hole in the corner business for us. To be any use to me our wedding must take place in the sight of the world. I need a great occasion, in Westminster Abbey, in the presence of the Queen and the Russian ambassador, with the ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury."

"And just how do you think you'll force me to go through with it?" she demanded.

"By keeping you here alone with me until you're so compromised that no other man will have you."

"So you plan to turn me into damaged goods," she said scornfully. "And what use will I be then as Princess of Kadradtz?"

He shrugged.

"Don't be so stupid! It doesn't matter to me if you're damaged goods, as long as you bring the money with you."

A chill went through Lavina as she realised that this creature was right.

Nobody knew where she was.

He could keep her here for days without being discovered.

And who would want her then?

"Her Majesty will never allow you to do this," she said desperately.

"Why not?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

"When she knows how you kidnapped me – I shall beg her help."

Stanislaus roared with laughter.

"You beg her help? After the way you spoke to her?"

He was right. She had thrown away all chance of the Queen's friendship, and now her position was truly desperate.

Suddenly she turned and began to run, heading for the far door. But she found it locked, and when she turned she saw Stanislaus coming towards her. He did not move hurriedly, for he knew that she was trapped.

"Let me go," she said breathlessly. "I will not marry you."

"Don't be ridiculous," he said, abandoning his smile and showing her a cold face. "Of course you will. I want you. You are necessary to my plans. Forget Elswick. He won't want you when you've spent a few days in my company."

"I am not going to spend any time in your company," she said emphatically. "I am going to leave now."

"How, I wonder?"

"I can't believe that you'll try to keep me here against my will."

"My dear girl, I didn't take all this trouble to get you here simply to let you leave. I need you, I want you, and I always get what I want."

"You won't get me."

Lavina tried to sound firm, but her heart was beating with fear.

"Why, who do you think will help you?"

"My fiancé," she said determinedly. "Lord Elswick, the man I am going to marry."

Prince Stanislaus roared with laughter.

"Marry you? Have you deluded yourself with that idea? He has no intention of marrying you. Your engagement is false, a fantasy for my benefit."

"That is not true," she stammered.

"The Queen tells me that it
is
true. She never expected you to carry the charade this far. She thought, when her wishes had been made clear to you, you would obey them. But since you are stubborn, stern methods are needed."

"Do you expect me to believe that the Queen actually supports you in abducting me? Never!"

"Well, I didn't exactly describe what I meant to do, but in general she supports our coming marriage."

"
I will not marry you,"
she screamed.

"When we've been here alone for a few days, you'll be glad to marry me. Elswick won't claim you. Oh, he wants revenge on me, but not at the price of tying himself to damaged goods."

"What – do you mean – revenge?"

"You didn't know? How charming. I shall have the pleasure of telling you. I was the man who enticed his bride away and left him looking foolish at the church, to the derision of his neighbours."

Lavina stared at him, aghast.

"I don't believe you," she whispered.

But she did. It made sense of everything, including the way the Marquis had behaved at their first meeting.

At first he had refused to help her, then her father had mentioned Kadradtz, and he had swung round from the window, alert at the name.

From that moment he had been determined to do everything in his power to make their betrothal convincing. The hastily arranged dinner party, the man from the newspaper, the family jewels, the kiss during the fireworks display – he had done much, much more than she had envisaged when she asked his help.

And this was his reason. It was all to thwart the man who had ruined his life.

She closed her eyes, trying not to follow this path of thought. It led to too much pain.

"I don't believe you," she said again. It was untrue but she wanted to keep him talking. Dreadful as it was, she had to hear everything.

He shrugged.

"Why not? I don't live in Kadradtz all the time. It's a dreadful, primitive place, as you'll discover when we're married. I travelled extensively, and at that time I was in England. I happened to meet Anjelica.

"She took my fancy. She was a pretty little thing, delightful enough to turn any man's head. When I met her she'd already got to work on young Elswick, thinking she'd struck gold.

"He was insane about her, wildly, desperately infatuated. I think he would have sacrificed the world, and counted it well lost if only he could have her.

"It was the kind of love a man feels only once in a lifetime – or so they tell me. I've never wasted time like that, myself. But people who understand these things say that, afterwards, a man protects himself from ever loving like that again."

"Yes," Lavina whispered. "Oh yes."

"Personally," continued Stanislaus with ineffable smugness, "I think that to be making such a fuss over a woman is absurd. One woman is just like another in the end.

"Some are a little more fun, some a little less, but none of them really matter. However, Elswick would have died for Anjelica."

Lavina looked away, refusing to let him see how these remarks tortured her. They conjured up thoughts she could not bear, thoughts of the man she loved as he had once been, young, generous, with a heart to give; not wary and defensive as he was now, but loving, passionate and giving.

"Anjelica knew how wildly in love he was," Stanislaus went on. "She thought she was winning. She hadn't reckoned on his family cutting him off.

"Of course they couldn't deprive him of the title, and if she'd been patient, she would eventually have been a Marchioness, and everything would have been hers.

"But Anjelica didn't understand the words 'patience' and 'eventually'. She wanted everything now, and I was able to offer 'now'. Not marriage, of course, but money, jewels, life in glittering surroundings.

"She made me wait right up until the wedding day. She was sure his family would relent when the moment came, and turn up at the wedding.

"She even went to the church, all dressed in bridal white. I went with her, riding beside her carriage. When she realised that the old Marquis wasn't there, I took her hand and we ran away together."

Stanislaus gave his eerie, almost silent laugh.

"At the last minute I looked back and saw the jilted bridegroom standing there. For a moment I'll swear he didn't even realise what was happening. Then he began to run after us, calling her name.

"But we ran and I took her up on my horse in front of me, and off we galloped. He chased us out of the church, still calling her name.

"I heard afterwards that he lay in a fever for weeks, and nearly lost his reason."

"Sweet heaven!" Lavina whispered.

"Oh she was a prime article, I grant you. Everyone envied me for having such a creature on my arm.

"In Kadradtz we understand this kind of relationship better than the prudish English. I was able to take her with me everywhere."

"And you expect me to marry you, knowing that this woman is your mistress?" Lavina demanded scathingly.

"Good heavens, no! I haven't seen her for years. I became bored with her very quickly. Her conversation was extremely limited and her charms soon faded. Besides, another comet streaked across my horizon, far more beautiful and equally avaricious."

"I can see why you would need money," Lavina said bitingly, "with all these jewels to buy."

"Oh please! Credit me with some understanding of economy. Naturally I retrieved the jewels from Anjelica to pass on to her successor. Not that they suited her very well. She was a brunette, and pearls looked insipid on her. Still, one can't have everything."

Lavina stared at him, speechless with disgust.

"So you threw her out without a penny when she'd outlived her usefulness?"

"Not exactly without a penny. I did give her a sum of money. It was the only way to stop her caterwauling, and be rid of her. But I doubt it lasted long.

"My, how that woman could spend! Elswick could never have afforded her. Mind you, if she'd known how soon he would inherit the title, she might have decided to marry him and bide her time."

Now Lavina understood the jagged hatred that had rent the air when Lord Elswick met the Prince at Balmoral. It had not been her imagination. It had been real.

"Still, I think she was very satisfied with me," Stanislaus said smugly, "for a while."

Suddenly Lavina recalled something Lord Elswick had said at Balmoral. It had puzzled her, but it made perfect sense now.

"But he pursued you," she said in a voice of wondering discovery. "He found you and knocked you senseless, just as he threatened to do again that night at Balmoral."

There was a note in her voice that was almost triumph.

"You've felt his fist before, haven't you? That was what he meant when he said you knew he'd do it."

A pained looked passed over Stanislaus' face.

"There was an undignified brawl, I admit. In Heidelberg, not Kadradtz, which was a pity. In my own country I could have locked him up for ever, but in Heidelberg it had to be left to the officers of the law.

"One of them turned out to be an old drinking companion of his father, and got him out of the country, fast. I was very annoyed about that."

Lavina managed a brave laugh.

"I wish I could have seen you when he'd thrashed you. You must have been a sight."

"You are really most unwise to speak to me like that you know."

"I shall speak as I like. I care nothing for you. I shall never marry you."

"You're not cherishing hopes of marrying Elswick, are you? Oh dear, I do hope he hasn't deluded you into thinking he cares for you. He's quite capable of it, simply to keep you compliant."

Lavina refused to let her face reveal her inner torment.

Was that all his kisses had meant – to ensure that she played her part properly? His anger when she had ventured on a mild flirtation – was that simply to ensure that she did not make a fool of him?

"Anyway," Stanislaus continued, "I'm sure you're beginning to understand the reality of the situation now. You've been used. Ivan Elswick wanted to revenge himself on me, and you were his tool. Once he knows he's lost the battle he won't have any further use for you."

Lavina drew in a sharp breath. It was all true, and it hurt unbearably.

Then she realised that Stanislaus was walking towards

her, with a significant leer.

"So why don't you try to be a little accommodating? After all, we're going to be here together for quite a while."

He reached for her and she drew back her riding whip to strike him, but he grabbed her hand.

For a moment they struggled. She was desperate, but he was stronger, and she could feel that in another moment he would overcome her.

And then she heard an incredible sound.

The click of a pistol being cocked.

Followed a voice of iron,

"You have one second to release her, or I swear I'll pull the trigger and damn the consequences."

Twisting her head, Lavina nearly gave a cry of joy.

It was Lord Elswick, holding a pistol to the Prince's head.

"You are being very unwise," Stanislaus began.

"
One second
."

The Prince released her. Lavina got as far away from him as possible.

"Thank God!" she gasped.

"There's no time for that now," he grated, glancing at her briefly.

"
Ivan, look out!"

With a movement that was incredibly lithe, considering his figure, Stanislaus had wriggled free and whipped out a knife.

With an oath the Marquis turned the pistol so that he was holding the barrel, and brought the butt down on Stanislaus' head.

He fell to the floor and lay there groaning, blood pouring down his face.

"He's all right," the Marquis said, seizing Lavina's hand. "Let's go."

She needed no telling twice, running with him as fast as she could, then outside. There she found a downpour, with the rain coming down so hard that for a moment Lavina was driven back.

"On your horse," Lord Elswick said, helping her to mount. "And ride as fast as you can."

All she wanted was to get away from here and then to be alone with him, to look into his eyes and see the truth. But she knew that would have to wait.

At first the trees protected them from the heavy rain, but gradually the wood faded, they were out in the open and the full force of the storm hit them. Rain came down in sheets, alarming the horses and making it hard to see the road ahead.

"We shall have to find some shelter until the worst has passed," he said. "I think I passed an inn half a mile along here."

They reached the inn, soaked and weary, and were relieved to find that it was open and they could get under cover.

"The lady needs a private parlour," the Marquis said at once.

The landlord bowed her into a small parlour at the back, and instructed a maid to take in some towels.

When Lavina had finished drying her hair she found that the Marquis had joined her. He pulled off his sodden coat and dried himself off as best he could.

His damp shirt still stuck to him, his hair was tousled, and he was breathing hard, almost as though he were still fighting.

The sight made Lavina remember what Stanislaus had said. For the Marquis this was a battle that had already lasted a long time, and it wasn't over yet.